


Already flying through the free fall

by tasteofdreams



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Newt likes him anyway though, Teresa's Tough Love, spoiler alert: he fails, thomas tries to be smooth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-27 03:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20039254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasteofdreams/pseuds/tasteofdreams
Summary: Thomas resolves to talk to his crush. What's that saying about best laid plans?





	Already flying through the free fall

**Or: Conspiracies, Potholes and Vertigo.**  
  
  
***

Ok, T. Today is the day. I can feel it. 

** I've heard that before. No offence, but I'm not exactly holding my breath. **

Excuse you, that is not the encouraging message I was hoping for. Put your Supportive Best Friend hat back on, please, Teresa. I need this, ok?

** Tom. Come on. I always support you, you know that. But I have heard these same words from you at least 999 times before, and you have never once followed through. So what do you expect? **

1000th time’s the charm?

** You're exhausting. **

Come on. I can do this. I'm GOING to do this. Today. Almost definitely today.

** Thomas. You and I both know that within ten minutes, you'll be messaging me with yet another Hot Blond Guy-inspired freak out. **

I don't do that!

** …don't test me.**

I don't!

** “Fuck, why does the universe hate me??? HBG is wearing a LEATHER JACKET today! A LEATHER JACKET, TERESA! I barely managed not to pass out, let alone actually fucking talk to him. Fuck. I'm at work in 2 mins and I'm a mess.” **

** “His HAIR!!!?? Gjkcduonsyik. HIS FUCKING HAIR. I CAN'T. JFC.” **

** “HBG is wearing a white button down. Why is he like this??? He looks incredible. How can I possibly start a conversation in such conditions? I can't exactly communicate coherently and flirt with him when I'm dying inside!" **

** “He SMILED at me. I immediately looked away and pretended I had to find something in my bag. Wtf am I doing???” **

OK, OK, YOU CAN STOP NOW, TERESA. I GET IT. PLEASE STOP.

** Those were all direct quotes. Face it, you're a mess, and you're never going to actually talk to him. **

Ffs, where is the love and support?? I am having a CRISIS here! That's it, I'm returning you to the store, I want a best friend exchange. 

** Ok. **

No need to sound so cut up about it… 

** Ok. **

I mean it this time!

** As if you could get by without me, loser. **

Hey. I've been doing just fine while you've been away for stupid work for the last FOREVER.

** Very convincing. **

COULD WE FOCUS PLEASE?? THERE ARE ONLY 3 STOPS LEFT BEFORE HE GRACES THE BUS WITH HIS DAMN FINE PRESENCE.

** What exactly do you want from me? Have fun? Enjoy drooling over him and gaping lustfully at him like an idiot, while you creepily catalogue every detail to fantasise over when you're alone tonight? **

TERESA YOU ARE NOT HELPING WTF

...but yeah, ok, that's accurate.

I WILL TALK TO HIM TODAY DAMMIT.

I think.

TWO STOPS. OMG I'M PANICKING. WHAT SHOULD I DO??? 

Where tf are you?? I NEED YOU. HELP!

***

The way Thomas jumped when the phone he was staring at fixedly suddenly rang was a little embarrassing, to say the least. He hurriedly accepted the call, determinedly ignoring the amused expression of the girl next to him.

“What do you want, former and about-to-be-returned best friend?”

“Cut the dramatics, Tom, I only have 30 seconds and I'm using them to reassure you - and issue you a challenge.”

Inevitable dread followed her words. Teresa’s voice told him that she meant business, and Thomas had known her long and well enough by now to recognise that this tone of voice brooked no argument and generally led to Teresa getting exactly what she wanted.

“I don't like the sound of that…”

“Shush. What did I _ just _ say? Listen up. You know full well that I'm absolutely behind you on this, just like I always am, and that I'll be delighted if you actually do go through with it - if only so that I don't have to continue listening to your hopeless pining. But we've been down this road before - 999 times - so, as I said, I'm not holding my breath.”

Thomas tried to protest, but Teresa ignored him, ploughing on determinedly.

“And now we come to the challenge I mentioned. I bet you dinner at Vince's that you don't go through with it today, and instead end up texting me wailing about how hot and out of your league HBG is - which he probably is, by the way - and how you need to prepare yourself properly before speaking to him. Just like the 999 previous times. But good luck, and everything. I believe in you, I guess. Bye!"

And with that, she hung up. _ That's just great. Some best friend she is. _

Giving himself a little shake to refocus - how many stops were left, now? - Thomas tried to ignore Teresa’s teasing and summon his courage. He'd never been one to back down from a challenge, after all.

**You're springing for wine and dessert as well, by the way. I miss Vince's tiramisu.**

Thomas huffed in exasperation, nevertheless unable to keep the fond smile off his face. A smile that only widened when his phone chimed with Teresa's follow-up message.

**Just talk to him, Tom. You're the best person I know and he'd be lucky to date you. I love you, loser.**

After firing off a quick reply, Thomas put his phone away and took a deep breath. Yes. He was going to do this today, dammit. He was. Teresa could treat him to dinner and that cheesecake he loved, to celebrate his success in getting Hot Blond Guy's phone number.

There was a cough beside him, and he glanced at the laughing girl from earlier only to find her looking right at him, amusement still dancing in her eyes.

"Don't listen to her. You can totally do this. I have a good feeling about today.” Her voice was firm and she watched him defiantly, as though daring Thomas to question her - she reminded him eerily of Teresa, pixie cut notwithstanding.

Thomas was speechless for a moment, and he could feel the warmth spreading across his cheeks at how obvious he must have been. How mortifying._ Shit. Does that mean HBG has noticed, too? _

As though reading his thoughts and satisfied that he had taken notice, Laughing Girl continued, voice turning teasing and a slight, almost reluctant, softness creeping into her manner.

“Besides, you need to take pity on the rest of us unfortunate souls who are forced to watch you two exchange shy smiles and blushes and fucking heart eyes, day after day. It's about damn time the two of you put us all out of our misery!"

“Um, thanks?” 

Laughing Girl nodded decisively, and with that, she was apparently done, gaze returning to the book in her hands, Thomas seemingly forgotten. Well. That was embarrassing. Perhaps she had a point, though... If he really had been this obvious, was there anything to lose from actually giving it a shot? Aside from whatever dignity remained to him, anyway?

The rolling screen showed the next stop, which was HBG’s, and suddenly it was crunch time. Now or never. Or, well, now or tomorrow. Or the next day. But that didn't sound quite so inspiring. Thomas scrambled to make sure he looked alright. As always, he positioned himself close to Hot Blond Guy’s usual place, in case there was another opportunity for the two of them to exchange smiles that Thomas could _ swear _ were flirtatious. And if Laughing Girl was being sincere, apparently he wasn't the only one.

If there no such opportunity presented itself, then Thomas could just sneak glances at him whenever possible and try to convince himself that it wasn’t creepy to stare at the crush who he’d never actually spoken to. God, it was as though he was at school all over again, nursing secret crushes on guys way out of his league. 

He needed to get over himself and just approach the guy. Just talk to him. It wasn’t that difficult, and he’d done it plenty of times before; he wasn’t sure why he was so damn nervous this time. Either it would be successful, and they’d chat – hopefully Thomas could even get his number – or it wouldn’t be, and that would be that; he could stop pining pathetically over a stranger. _ And immediately jump off at the next stop, change my entire commute and never take this bus again. _

Shaking his head at himself, he checked the time. Hot Blond Guy's stop would be any minute now. Fixing a winning smile on his face, Thomas watched the doors, then realised that was probably too intense and settled for casually looking out of the window instead, a (slightly) more relaxed expression on his face. When he caught sight of his crush waiting to get onto the bus, he felt that familiar swooping in his stomach, that little shiver of excited nerves as adrenaline shot through him. Spotting Hot Blond Guy standing back to help a woman with a pram onto the bus fired up the warm buzz of affection that was starting to become familiar to Thomas. This time, the smile that appeared on his face was entirely genuine.

Once everyone else was on board, Thomas was surprised to see his mysterious crush heading for a seat, rather than standing, as he usually did – until he noticed the large bag of shopping he was carrying in addition to his usual rucksack. His limp seemed a little bit more pronounced today, too. Thomas couldn’t hold back a flare of concern, which was stupid, really. He didn’t even know the guy. Still, he looked tired and discomfited, and it was impossible – for Thomas, at least – to not want to do something to cheer him up. 

Almost as Thomas thought this, Hot Blond Guy caught his eye, a smile blooming across his face that brightened his whole expression. Thomas could feel himself start to blush, and the fact that Hot Blond Guy chose a seat right next to where Thomas was standing was not lost on him. They exchanged soft smiles as he got settled, awkwardly squeezing his huge bag in at his feet. Not for the first time, Thomas noticed him rub at his leg as though trying to ease an ache, and he wondered (also not for the first time) what had happened to cause his injury.

_ I won’t be able to find out anything about him unless I actually fucking talk to him _. He sighed in exasperation, and Hot Blond Guy immediately looked up at him, as though worried. Thomas could feel that damn blush deepening on his cheeks, but he smiled anyway, shaking his head in an effort to communicate that nothing was wrong. A little smile curled up one side of Hot Blond Guy’s mouth, and it was the most adorable thing that Thomas had seen him do in at least the past thirty seconds. He wanted nothing more than to kiss it off his face.

Perhaps it was the intensity of that desire that finally propelled him to throw his self-doubt out of the proverbial window and muster up the courage to actually speak. Or perhaps it was the warmth in Hot Blond Guy’s eyes, or the way he bit his lip as though contemplating taking that same leap. _ Hey, I can dream. Soon it’ll probably be the only thing I have left. _

The woman who had been sitting next to Hot Blond Guy got up and moved towards the doors to wait, which gave Thomas as much privacy as he was going to get on a busy commuter bus. Steeling himself, he took a step closer so that he was right beside Hot Blond Guy, shifting on his feet nervously. He tilted his head in an unspoken question, and waited anxiously for a response. Hot Blond Guy’s adorable half smile returned, a slight blush painting his cheeks as he nodded slightly. It was all the encouragement Thomas needed.

_ Here we go _ , thought Thomas, _ it’s make or break time _.

“Hi”, he started, relieved to see the wide, pleased smile that broke over Hot Blond Guy’s face as he spoke. “Can I-”

Thomas’ words were choked off into a startled grunt as the bus jolted and braked suddenly, slamming to a sudden stop and knocking him off his feet – right into Hot Blond Guy’s lap.

There was a long beat in which the two of them looked at each other in shock, Thomas sprawled gracelessly across Hot Blond Guy, trying to process what had just happened. Surprised brown eyes gazed down at him, and perhaps it was wishful thinking, but Thomas thought he saw a little flash of happiness there. He tried to remain calm, but it wasn’t so much his embarrassment that was threatening his composure; he was acutely aware of the arms that had come up to steady him, as though on instinct, and for a moment, that was all he could focus on.

All at once, they were both scrambling to disentangle themselves, mumbling apologies and determinedly avoiding the amused glances of the other passengers. All the mortification that had been kept temporarily at bay by the more pressing experience of being so close to his crush – held in his arms, even – suddenly came rushing in, and Thomas could feel his cheeks flaming.

That was not how he had wanted to get Hot Blond Guy’s attention.

Internally cringing at how humiliating that had been, mentally filing it away right at the top of his Most Disastrous Attempts to Hit on a Hot Guy list, Thomas prepared to scramble away and, yes, immediately jump off at the next stop, change his entire commute and never take this bus again.

He was halted by a hand on his arm, and looked down in surprise to find Hot Blond Guy looking up at him earnestly, despite the laughter playing around his mouth and in his eyes. The hand on Thomas’ arm sent sparks across his skin, and he cursed himself for being so hopeless. He nonetheless stopped his movements, freezing almost unconsciously at the unspoken request. To his pleasant surprise, Hot Blond Guy slid across to the next seat, leaving his free for Thomas to take. He nodded towards it and, yes, that was a smile on his face. He still looked as though he was trying not to laugh, but hell, Thomas would take it. He sank into the seat gratefully, trying to suppress his embarrassment and claw back some of his composure.

Hot Blond Guy looked at him for a moment longer, and then seemed to release the tight rein he’d had on his amusement, letting a laugh bubble up, his eyes crinkling in the corners. Despite the fact that he was laughing at Thomas, he somehow managed to become even more attractive in the process. It was ridiculous. Thomas was ridiculous.

It seemed that Hot Blond Guy agreed. If Thomas wasn’t mistaken, though, there was affection in his eyes when he spoke.

“Well. That wasn’t as smooth as you’d no doubt been planning on. I’d say you stuck the landing, though...”

Beneath the voice in Thomas’ head that was busy chanting _ He’s British he’s British he’s British _, he was able to hear the flirtatious tone of that rich voice, and he clutched that knowledge to his chest. Maybe this wasn’t such a disaster, after all.

“Yeah, that wasn’t exactly how I’d hoped it would go.” Thomas replied, rolling his eyes and smiling self-deprecatingly. Hot Blond Guy laughed again, his smile wide, and Thomas felt suddenly at ease. He could do this.

“I had been planning to ask if I could sit here, and finally strike up the conversation I’ve been trying to work up the courage to initiate for weeks, during which I’d charm you with my wit and good looks, sweeping you off your feet so that you couldn’t help but give me your number. But…” He shrugged helplessly. “I guess I’m the one who got swept off his feet, instead.”

That earned him a groan, but also more laughter, which Thomas counted as a win, even if it was a little exasperated. Hot Blond Guy looked at him appraisingly for a moment before replying, and Thomas could feel nerves skittering inside him even though he was fairly confident of a positive response at this point.

“Luckily for you, I do find you charming, despite your apparently rather unorthodox methods of chatting people up. There’s just something about having the cute guy who I’ve fancied for weeks fall at my feet that does make me feel inclined to give him my number, after all.”

Thomas beamed, which only made Hot Blond Guy laugh softly again – a sound that Thomas was already beginning to really like hearing.

“I guess that’ll make up for humiliating myself in front of a bus full of strangers as I threw myself at you.” He was aware that it was very obvious how thrilled he was, regardless of his measured words, and he had absolutely no intention of hiding that, letting his relief and happiness show on his face. “I think usually the introductions come before the first cuddle, but like you said, I’m a bit unorthodox, so I guess we’re doing this out of order. Hi. I’m Thomas.”

“Thomas…” Hot Blond Guy rolled the name around in his mouth for a moment, which inspired all kinds of thoughts that Thomas pushed aside - for now. “I’m Newt. It’s nice to officially meet you, post-cuddle.”

When Thomas raised an eyebrow at his name, Newt shook his head exasperatedly and told him, “I’ll tell you about it next time.”

As they fell into conversation, that voice in Thomas’ head took up the chant _ next time next time next time _ excitedly. That had to be a good sign, surely. 

Thomas had never before cursed his short commute, but today, he found himself wishing for one of those hellish, hours-long commutes, just so he could keep talking to Hot Blond - no, Newt - for longer, enjoying Newt's wry comments and mischievous dark eyes. He was funny, and interesting, full of great stories and clearly intelligent. Thomas could have listened to him talk for hours, and found himself regretting the time he had wasted by being too nervous to approach Newt. 

It was adorable when Newt spoke of his little sister coming to visit with such obvious affection, and detailed the extravagant dinner he was going to cook for her arrival. Apparently this guy was hot, witty and cute. Plus he could cook! _I'm totally screwed _ , thought Thomas, _ he's fucking brilliant. _Somehow, Newt was also clearly interested in hearing about Thomas’ life and his opinions, asking him questions and even laughing at his dumb jokes.

All too soon, Thomas’ stop was approaching. An urgent edge appeared in their conversation, and Thomas wondered if Newt was as aware of his routine as Thomas himself was of Newt's. With no small amount of glee, he noticed Newt's eyes darting to the screen, disappointment clouding his expression as Thomas’ stop appeared there.

“My number", Newt blurted out, blushing a little when Thomas laughed. “Shut up, Tommy.” A thrill shot through Thomas at the nickname, at the way it rolled off Newt's tongue, so naturally that he almost seemed unaware of doing it. “You can have my number", a pause, here, as something shy stole across Newt’s face, “if you still want it, I mean.”

Thomas rushed to reassure him. “Oh, I still do. Definitely. Please.” 

“Alright, alright, I'll give you my number, calm down.” Newt's teasing tone and cheeky expression had Thomas smiling like an idiot, warmth rushing through him.

The bus was slowing down, Thomas’ stop approaching; they were almost out of time. Somehow the idea of waiting until tomorrow made Thomas ache, and his panic must have shown on his face, because Newt plucked a pen from his bag and reached for Thomas’ hand. Thomas surrendered it willingly and watched as Newt gently wrote his number onto Thomas’ skin. He felt every inch of contact between them, and when Newt waited a beat or two before releasing Thomas’ hand, his thumb brushing unnecessarily across the numbers he'd inscribed there, Thomas felt hope unfurl in his chest.

The stupid bus began pulling in, and Thomas reluctantly gathered his things, preparing to leave. He couldn't resist reaching out to touch Newt's arm before he moved away.

“I'm really glad that I talked to you today. Even if I made kind of a mess of it at first.”

“You didn't make a mess of anything, Tommy,” replied Newt softly, his expression earnest. A second later, his eyes darkened slightly, even while his voice was teasing. “I told you, having the hot guy I've been lusting over throw himself into my lap pretty much made my week.” 

Newt winked, and Thomas was speechless for a moment, until the bustling of other passengers jolted him back into action. He stood up, but maintained eye contact, cursing the bus and his stop and everything that was forcing a premature end to the conversation he'd been hoping for all these weeks. 

“Ok, I have to go”, he informed Newt unnecessarily. “I'll see you tomorrow, though. Enjoy your evening with Lizzy!” 

The way that Newt lit up at his words set something fluttering in Thomas’ stomach. He wanted to kiss the surprised smile on Newt's face, wanted to pull him in and press close.

_ All in good time. _

“Thanks. She's going to be excited about this. About you. I won't hear the end of it all night.” The smile remained, though, and Newt's voice was content and indulgent; he clearly didn't mind in the slightest. “See you tomorrow. Text me.” 

There was a weight to the words, and Thomas nodded fervently. The bus pulled to a stop, and for a taut moment, the two of them simply gazed at one another, before someone pushed past Thomas, breaking the moment and prompting a final goodbye. 

Stepping reluctantly off the bus, Thomas found himself face-to-face with Laughing Girl, who was smiling at him, apparently genuinely pleased. It was hard to tell, though. She scared him a little. He found himself hoping that she and Teresa would never cross paths.

“Told you I had a good feeling about today. An interesting method, by the way, falling all over him like that. It was kind of ridiculous, made you look a bit stupid, but hey, it did the job! Somehow. Apparently hapless idiot is just his type. Nice work, I guess.” She punched Thomas’ arm in a gesture that he suspected was intended to be friendly, but which actually hurt quite a bit. 

“Yeah, it didn't quite go according to plan”, Thomas acknowledged, quite excited to be handed an opportunity to talk to someone about this, despite the bruise that was probably already forming. A small price to pay, really. “But I actually got his number! We talked. For _ ages! _ And he wants me to text him!” 

“Yeah, yeah, I'm happy for you lovebirds.” Her bored tone was just sharp enough to be exaggerated, and Thomas saw enough warmth in her eyes not to be fooled by it. “Alright, see you tomorrow, 'Tommy'.”

She waved vaguely and walked away, stopping to exchange a few cheerful words with the the older bus driver, talking carelessly over the heads of the passengers still boarding, before throwing him a wink and departing. The driver smiled fondly at her, laughter lingering in his expression, and Thomas was almost sure that an amused eye roll was directed his way in the seconds before the doors closed. Huh. Oh well. The electric thrill of Newt’s name in his contact list was a much more deserving target for his attention - until the noise of the bus accelerating jolted him back to the moment, of course. Thomas turned back just in time to see the bus pull away, catching Newt's gaze and smiling back, watching as he disappeared from sight and trying to ignore the odd pull in his chest.

He didn’t have to wait until tomorrow, though. Thomas wasn’t going to play games. Not with this one. He wouldn’t risk it. How soon was too soon to text, though? Fuck, he needed advice.

Teresa would know what to do. Plus, he couldn’t wait to tell her that he’d finally actually done it and talked to his crush. Thomas knew she wouldn’t believe him at first, and wondered if he could persuade Newt to take a selfie with him tomorrow. Or would that be creepy? And possibly just an excuse to get a photo of the Hottest Guy He Knew onto his phone… Okay, so no selfie. He’d just have to find another way to prove to Teresa that he wasn’t bullshitting her.  
  
Unless…

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to Bia, who patiently listened to me ramble (what else is new?) when I threw this into a gdoc many moons ago and kindly gifted me some absolute gems of inspiration à la texts with her best friend <3 Love you vff <3
> 
> Credit also due to the two men who accidentally fell into one another on the bus all those months ago, the sight of which brought this little ficlet walking into my head. Thanks guys *salutes*
> 
> Title from 'Red' by Taylor Swift. Because that's just who I am.


End file.
